Rebel
by KatieK101
Summary: Icecloud is the only daughter of Dustpelt and Ferncloud. That being said, Dustpelt is very protective of her. But when her overprotective father publicly humiliates her, she snaps. Icecloud meets a ShadowClan tom at a gathering and flirting seems like the perfect way to get back at her father. But what starts as a simple rebellion, may soon turn into something more... Slight AU
1. Prologue

**Come one, come all to KatieK101's new story that she should NOT be starting!**

**However, in her (my) defense, at least it's not some random out-of-the-blue story. As some of you may know, "Rebel" is a story that I was co-writing with the amazing ScipioPB. Everything was going great until we both lost interest in the Icecloud and Smokefoot, and we stopped posting. A couple days ago I PMed Scipio and asked if she wanted to continue the story, and if not, would she let me adopt it back. After thinking it over Scipio decided she was done with Rebel, and that I could have it back. **

**So here we are! For you Icy fans (my nickname for Scipio; not Icecloud) fear not! Scipio is now my number one consultant whenever Rebel is concerned. **

**This chapter takes place between "Sunrise" and "The Forth Apprentice".**

**And now... we begin! **

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><p><strong>Disclaimer - I, KatieK101, do not own Icy or "Warriors". If I did then Icecloud would not have died in BStorm.<strong>

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><p><strong>"Dear dad, I get good grades, I am a virgin, and I don't smoke weed. Stop treating me like I'm some rebel, or I will turn into one." - Unknown<strong>

"From this moment on, you will be known as Icecloud!"

"Icecloud! Foxleap! Icecloud! Foxleap!" the clan roared.

To her left Foxleap puffed out his chest, shamelessly soaking up his clan mates praise. Icecloud purred and nudged him, before ducking her head. She had always been more humble then her brother, if only slightly.

Icecloud could see their parents, Dustpelt and Ferncloud, cheering amongst the throng of ThunderClan cats strung about the clearing. They looked even prouder then Foxleap was, if that was possible, and when Icecloud made eye contact with them their chants grew louder.

Suddenly Foxleap nudged her side sharply, and when she turned around and gave him a questioning look he gestured to their cousin, Toadpaw. The bulky black and white tom was yowling their names along with their clan mates, but he seemed to be watching Icecloud especially. The pretty white she-cat smiled briefly and when the cheering died down, she stood to her paws and padded in the tom's direction. She dodged her clan mates who were ever so eager to congratulate her, smiling and nodding her acknowledgement.

She finally found Toadpaw sitting by the apprentice den, and squeezed past the last cat before sitting down in front of him.

"Congratulations,_ Icecloud_," Toadpaw said, a grin sown across his lips. "Firestar gave you such a cool warrior name!"

"Thanks Toadpaw," Icecloud purred. Toadpaw tended to be a little arrogant at times, so Icecloud took that as high praise. Amusement danced in her sky blue orbs as she added, "It's not as cool as Icestorm would have been, but I guess it is pretty great."

"I'm going to miss you in the apprentice den," Toadpaw admitted. The statement surprised Icecloud, until Toadpaw went on, a little more haughty. "Now that Graystripe's kits became apprentices a couple days ago, all Rosepaw wants to do is talk to Bumblepaw. And Blossompaw is so bossy! Briarpaw's the only one I can actually tolerate." Icecloud rolled her bright blue eyes, but it was in a playful manner.

"Oh, however will you survive?" She mocked lightly. When Toadpaw managed to look unimpressed Icecloud laughed and said, "Well, maybe Dovekit and Ivykit will be better. And besides, you'll be a warrior too soon enough!" Toadpaw opened his mouth to respond but the sound of paw steps cut him off, and Icecloud whipped her head around just in time to see Dustpelt badding briskly over to her side.

"Hello, daughter of mine," Dustpelt greeted, slipping in-between Toadpaw and Icecloud. "Let's walk this way." He laid his tail across Icecloud's back and led her off to the warriors' den.

The blue-eyed she-cat had to stiffen the pang of irritation she felt when Dustpelt intrupted her conversation, but called behind her, "Bye Toadpaw!" The apprentice echoed her.

Icecloud turned back toward her father and fixed him with a hard look. "What was _that_ for?"

"I just wanted to congratulate you on becoming a warrior!" Dustpelt defended himself, not bothering to even glance at his daughter until they reached the warriors den. "Don't I have that right as your father?"

"Couldn't you have just waited until I was done talking to Toadpaw?" Icecloud reasoned. She usually didn't question her father, or any cat with a higher statues then herself really, but she **hated** it when Dustpelt pulled this kind of stuff. Especially when she knew the real reason behind it.

"I don't know why your pressing the subject, Icecloud." Dustpelt meowed. There was an edge to his voice that warned her to leave the topic alone, but Icecloud ignored it.

The pretty white she-cat stepped away from her angrily. "You just don't want me to talk to him because he's a tom, don't you?"

Something flashed in his amber eyes for a moment, but it was gone as fast as it came. "No, of course not!"

Icecloud just scoffed and spun around before sprinting off into the forest. Sometimes all she could do was run.

**~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.** **~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.** **~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.** **~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~. ~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~**.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.****

"He doesn't treat any any of his _sons_ this way." Icecloud muttered, kicking a pebble into the lake. "Besides, Toadpaw is my_ cousin_ for crying out loud!" Of course Rosepaw used to worship the very ground Foxleap walked on, so perhaps the idea of them becoming mate's wasn't so redicilous. Icecloud sighed and laid down in the wet sand surrounding the lake, and wrinkled her nose when it sloshed around her snowy-white fur. "I don't know how RiverClan deals with sand." She grumbled to herself.

"And I'm willing to bet they don't know how we deal with trees." A voice meowed from behind her. Icecloud glanced back and smiled briefly when she spotted Foxleap's russet-colored pelt. "What're you doing over here, Icecloud?" Foxleap asked as he padded down the shoreline and over to his sister.

"Oh, just thinking," she replied, turning herself back around. Icecloud figured her brother knew exactly why she wasn't in camp, but she hoped he would take the hint and decide the leave the subject alone.

But alas, Icecloud had no such luck. "About?" Foxleap drawled.

"Oh, you know. Stuff."

The siblings were silent until Foxleap continued. "You know, I saw how Dustpelt was treating you around Toadpaw; I saw the look he was giving you when you went over to him."

Despite the fact that Icecloud knew their conversation would lead to this, she still couldn't help but visibly wince. "You did?"

The russet-colored tom nodded. "Everyone knows how protective he can be, with you being his only daughter and all."

"Overprotective, you mean." The blue-eyed she-cat swiped her claws across the surface of the lake making it ripple. "I just don't know why. I've always been good! I've never taken fresh-kill without giving some to the elders first, I've never crossed the border unless it's a Gathering, and I've never done anything irresponsible!" She knew it was a bit of a stretch, but at least she hadn't done anything memorable!

"Well, yeah, but you have to understand that he's just trying to protect you," Foxleap reasoned.

Icecloud whipped her head around toward her brother, looking shell-shocked. "Wait, you mean you actually support him?!"

"Icecloud don't overreact-" Icecloud cut her litter-brother off with a hiss and fled back into the thick forest. She went in a random direction and only stopped when she couldn't run anymore. Standing there, she caught her breath and looked around. She was by the old twoleg path; the dark black surface was faded and cracked and plants had grown up through the missing patches. The trees around the area had begun to grow greener and the sunlight streaked down from the treetops, shining on her fluffy coat and warming her up, making her feel a bit better.

Icecloud knew Dustpelt was just protecting her, but she** did** have a point. She couldn't help but wonder if he would be as protective of her if Hollykit and Larchkit had survived, but chased the thought away. Hollykit and Larchkit had always been a depressing subject for her. Sighing softly, the snowy-white she-cat shook her pelt out and plastered a friendly smile across his features as she made back to camp. Maybe Foxleap had a point as well. Maybe Icecloud _was_ overreacting, if only slightly. After all it wasn't like Dustpelt thought he could keep her away from toms forever... right?

_It's probably just a faze. I'm sure he'll get over it soon._

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><p><strong>Annnnnd... there we go! Rebel is back in town!<strong>

**Next Chapter**

**(Takes place after "The Last Hope") Icecloud thinks about how overprotective Dustpelt has grown since the Dark Forest battle, and doesn't think he can get any worse. But when Dustpelt publicly embarrasses her in front of the clan, Icecloud darts out of camp and meets a ShadowClan patrol; cue Smokefoot. **

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><p><span><strong>Question of the Day<strong>

**Did you read "Rebel" when it was being co-written between ScipioPB and I? **


	2. Allegiances

**Allegiances**** are up! If you notice certain cats aren't on the list, that means they were killed during/after the Dark Forest Battle. This takes place after The Last Hope and because I refuse consider Bramblestar's Storm canon, cats who were mentioned dead, along with Ferncloud, are alive (Hazeltail, Foxleap, Applefur, etc...). **

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><p><strong>ThunderClan<strong>

Leader: Bramblestar - dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Deputy: Squirrelflight - dark ginger she-cat with green eyes

Medicine Cat: Leafpool - light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes (Apprentice: Jayfeather)

Warriors: Graystripe - long-haired gray tom

Dustpelt - dark brown tabby tom

Sandstorm - pale ginger she-cat with green eyes

Brackenfur - golden brown tabby tom

Cloudtail - long-haired white tom with blue eyes

Thornclaw - golden brown tabby tom (Apprentice: Seedpaw)

Birchfall - light brown tabby tom

Berrynose - cream-colored tom

Hazeltail - small gray-and-white she-cat (Apprentice: Lilypaw)

Mousewhisker - gray-and-white tom

Cinderheart - gray tabby she-cat

Poppyfrost - tortoiseshell she-cat

Lionblaze - golden tabby tom

Foxleap - reddish tabby tom (Apprentice: Cherrypaw)

Icecloud - striking white she-cat

Toadstep- black-and-white tom

Rosepetal - dark cream she-cat (Apprentice: Molepaw)

Bumblestripe - very pale gray tom with black stripes

Briarlight - dark brown she-cat

Blossomfall - tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat

Ivypool - gray and silver she-cat

Dovewing - fluffy pale gray she-cat

Apprentices: Molepaw - large brown and cream tom

Cherrypaw - small, fluffy ginger she-cat

Seedpaw - golden brown she-cat

Lilypaw - small, dark tabby she-cat with white patches

Queens: Ferncloud - pale gray (with darker flecks) she-cat with green eyes

Daisy - cream long-furred she-cat from the horseplace

Brightheart - white she-cat with ginger patches (mother to Snowkit, a white tom, Dewkit, a gray and white tom, and Amberkit, a pale ginger she-kit)

Whitewing - white she-cat with green eyes, expecting Birchfall's kits

Elders: Purdy - plump tabby tom with a gray muzzle, former loner

**ShadowClan**

Leader: Rowanstar - ginger tom

Deputy: Crowfrost - black-and-white tom

Medicine Cat: Littlecloud - very small tabby tom (Apprentice: Stoatfur)

Warriors: Toadfoot - dark brown tom

Tawnypelt - tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Smokefoot - black tom with a lighter gray chest (Apprentice: Grasspaw)

Applefur - mottled brown she-cat

Ratscar - brown tom with a long scar across his back

Olivenose - tortoiseshell she-cat

Owlclaw - light brown tabby tom

Scorchfur - dark gray tom (Apprentice: Spikepaw)

Tigerheart - dark brown tabby tom

Dawnpelt - cream-furred she-cat

Ferretclaw - cream and gray tom

Apprentices: Grasspaw - Pale brown she-cat

Spikepaw - Dark brown tom

Queens: Snowbird - pure-white she-cat, expecting Scorchfur's kits

Elders: Kinkfur - tabby she-cat with long fur that sticks out at all angles

Ivytail - black, white, and tortoiseshell she-cat

**WindClan**

Leader: Onestar - brown tabby tom

Deputy: Harespring - brown-and-white tom (Apprentice: Slightpaw)

Medicine Cat: Kestrelflight - mottled gray tom

Warriors: Whitetail - small white she-cat

Weaselfur - ginger tom with white paws

Crowfeather - dark gray tom (Apprentice: Featherpaw)

Nightcloud - black she-cat (Apprentice: Hootpaw)

Gorsetail - very pale gray-and-white tom with blue eyes

Leaftail - dark tabby tom with amber eyes

Emberfoot - gray tom with two dark paws (Apprentice: Oatpaw)

Heathertail - light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Breezepelt - black tom with amber eyes

Swallowtail - dark gray she-cat

Furzepelt - gray and white she-cat

Crouchfoot - ginger tom

Larkwing - pale brown tabby she-cat

Apprentices: Hootpaw - dark gray tom

Slightpaw - black tom with a flash of white on his chest

Featherpaw - gray tabby she-cat

Oatpaw - pale brown tom

Queens: Sedgewhisker - light brown tabby she-cat, expecting Emberfoot's kits

**RiverClan**

Leader: Mistystar - gray she-cat with blue eyes

Deputy: Reedwhisker - black tom

Medicine Cat: Mothwing - dappled golden she-cat

Apprentice, Willowshine (gray tabby she-cat)

Warriors: Graymist - pale gray tabby she-cat

Minnowtail - dark gray she-cat (Apprentice: Peachpaw)

Pebblefoot - mottled gray tom (Apprentice: Havenpaw)

Mallownose - light brown tabby tom

Robinwing - tortoiseshell-and-white tom

Grasspelt - light brown tom

Hollowflight - dark brown tabby tom

Troutstream - pale gray tabby she-cat

Mossyfoot - gray and brown tom (Apprentice: Lizardpaw)

Rushtail - light brown she-cat

Shimmerpelt - silver she-cat

Lakeheart - gray tabbby she-cat

Heronwing - dark gray and black tom

Apprentices: Lizardpaw - light brown tom

Peachpaw - gray and white she-cat

Heavenpaw - black and white she-cat

Queens: Petalfur - gray-and-white she-cat, expecting Mallownose's kits

Elders: Mintfur - light gray tabby tom

Icewing - white she-cat with blue eyes

Duskfur - brown tabby she-cat

Mosspelt - tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

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><p><strong>Here's a sneak peak for next chapter, so that this isn't against the rules. <strong>

As Icecloud padded into camp she swayed on her paws, ready to pass out from exhaustion.

Dustpelt, who was undoubtedly trying to get her away from toms, was running her paws off with various jobs to do. He had woke her up for the dawn hunting patrol (which consisted of Ivypool, Cinderheart, and her best friend, Rosepetal), had her personally check on the progress of Jayfeather's growing catmint shoots, and then had her help Cherrypaw and Seedpaw collect moss for the elders. But it didn't end there, oh no. He then had the white warrior check the elders for ticks, bring Brightheart some fresh-kill, and she just returned from a solo hunting patrol because Purdy wanted a squirrel and they were out.

Icecloud flopped down by the warriors' den and quickly scanned the camp for Dustpelt. But much to her delight, Dustpelt was nowhere in sight. "Squirrelflight sent him on a border patrol." A voice meowed from behind Icecloud and she jumped slightly, although she quickly relaxed when she saw it was just Mousewhisker, offering her a friendly smile.


	3. Chapter 1 - Let's Play Keep Away

**Hi KatieKats! I highly suggest reading this AN, or else you'll be incredibly confused.**

**After discussing them with Icy, I've made some major changes in Rebel. First off, unlike the original Rebel, this version is going to take place around two or three moons after The Last Hope. And because I refuse to consider Bramblestar's Storm canon, those who were pronounced dead are still alive (Hazeltail, Foxleap, Applefur, etc...). And not only that, but I've also decided to go against TLH and keep Ferncloud alive. She influences several events later in the story. **

**I think that's all? Yes? Good. Then without further ado, thanks to all the support I got last chapter, and I hope you enjoy this one just as much!**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer - I, KatieK101, do not own Icy or "Warriors". If I did then Icecloud would not have died in BStorm.<strong>

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><p><strong>"When I took one look at you, some part of my brain acknowledged the fact that there was no turning back." - KatieK101<strong>

As Icecloud padded into camp she swayed on her paws, ready to pass out from exhaustion.

Dustpelt, who was undoubtedly trying to get her away from toms, was running her paws off with various jobs to do. He had woke her up for the dawn hunting patrol (which consisted of Ivypool, Cinderheart, and her best friend, Rosepetal), had her personally check on the progress of Jayfeather's growing catmint shoots, and then had her help Cherrypaw and Seedpaw collect moss for the elders. But it didn't end there, oh no. He then had the white warrior check the elders for ticks, bring Brightheart some fresh-kill, and she just returned from a solo hunting patrol because Purdy wanted a squirrel and they were out.

Icecloud flopped down by the warriors' den and quickly scanned the camp for Dustpelt. But much to her delight, Dustpelt was nowhere in sight. "Squirrelflight sent him on a border patrol." A voice meowed from behind Icecloud and she jumped slightly, although she quickly relaxed when she saw it was just Mousewhisker, offering her a friendly smile.

"Thank StarClan!" Icecloud breathed, immediately letting her guard down. However a frown started tugging at her lips when she realized she never told Mousewhisker who she was looking for. "How did you-"

"Know who you were looking for?" Mousewhisker finished for her. When Icecloud nodded Mousewhisker shrugged. "Call it a hunch; after seeing him send you all over the territory, I figured you weren't looking wildly around for Berrynose, or Briarlight." A playful note had clearly entered Mousewhisker's tone, however Icecloud didn't seem to notice.

Instead she groaned. "Is it that noticeable?"

The gray and white tom shook his head. "No, no, it's just… well, actually, yes, a bit." The blue-eyed warrior groaned, prompting Mousewhisker to chuckle. "Do you care if I…?" He gestured with a flourish of his tail toward the spot next to her. Icecloud immediately shook her head.

"Oh, um, no. Go ahead and lie down." She scooted over, silently cursing herself as her face heated up. Mousewhisker purred as he sat down beside her, and she bit back a purr of her own. Mousewhisker was by no means an ugly cat. While he wasn't as "dreamy" as Berrynose, (at least, that's what Poppyfrost claimed) he was actually a pretty handsome tom. And Icecloud wouldn't be lying if I said that I didn't have a _tiny crush_ on him. _A tiny crush I've had ever since I was made into an apprentice, _Icecloud thought privately to herself.

As Icecloud tried to look anywhere else but Mousewhisker's bright, forest-green eyes, she caught Lilypaw's amber gaze. The tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat was glaring openly at Mousewhisker and Icecloud, and she looked stiff. _Jealousy. _Icecloud recognized the emotion.

The fluffy white she-cat easily returned a cold glare of her own and didn't move her icy blue eyes until Lilypaw was forced to look away. _That's right, go and find your own-, _Icecloud stopped herself mid-thought. _Go and find your own friend_, she corrected herself. _Mousewhisker's not my mate and probably only thinks of me as a friend_. It was a painful for her to think, but she shoved the thoughts away; she was too tired to think about such a depressing matter.

"Are you alright?" the grey and white tom asked, snapping Icecloud out of her mental conversation. She glanced at the tom and blinked when she noticed a knowing grin had played across his lips. After a second realization dawned on her; he'd seen the glare she'd thrown at Lilypaw. Icecloud resisted the urge to duck her head, and focused on his question.

Her immediate response was that she was fine, but the genuine concern in Mousewhisker's forest-green orbs pulled the truth out of her. "Not really," she admitted. "My paws feel like they're about to fall off, and Dustpelt is being a pain in the tail."

Confusion was splashed across Mousewhisker's features. "Actually, what _is_ Dustpelt's problem?" he inquired. Icecloud sighed and laid her head on her paws.

"The Dark Forest battle really took a toll on him." She started. "He never suspected any of his clan mates of training in the Dark Forest, and when the truth came out, it absolutly shocked him. I don't think anyone picked up on it, but Dustpelt had a really hard time trusting... anyone after that war. He even started to push his family away." Mousewhisker cringed, and realization hit Icecloud like a lightning bolt. _That's right, _she mused. _You trained with them too, didn't you? _Good thing Dustpelt didn't know about that secret crush of hers'. She went on. "He would have pushed everyone away if Ferncloud had died; thank StarClan Brightheart managed to drive Brokenstar away before he could kill her. Anyway, Dustpelt's always had this crazy theory that I shouldn't be allowed to hang out with toms, and I guess the Dark Forest battle was just his final straw. Ever since then he's been running my paws off with jobs to do."

Mousewhisker looked sheepishly at his paws. "So... it's my fault that you're not allowed to be around toms, huh?" He asked, reading between the lines. Despite the embarrassment that came along with admitting she had an overprotective father, Icecloud found smiling briefly.

"I never thought about it, I guess so." She gently cuffed Mousewhisker over the ear, and purred. "Well, it's only half your fault. I suspect it also has something to do with the fact that Whitewing and Birchfall are expecting again." _He's probably scared silly that I'm going to be next. _

Icecloud took a moment to sweep her gaze over the camp. Her sky blue orbs come to a rest on Lionblaze and Cinderheart, and Berrynose and Poppyfrost. The pairs were clustered into a circle, sharing tongues, and gossiping about something or other. But despite all sitting together, it was painfully obvious that Lionblaze and Cinderheart were in their own little world, and the same with Berrynose and Poppyfrost. Icecloud felt the beginning of frown start to trace her lips as bitterness started to bloom in her chest.

_It's not fair_._ Brackenfur has no problem with Cinderheart and Poppyfrost having mates, and yet I'm not allowed to be on the same patrol as a tom?_ Scratch that. Icecloud wasn't allowed to be on the same patrol with a tom who wasn't her brother.

Sighing again, she turned her attention back to the grey and white warrior next to her. "I guess it's because I'm his only daughter, and I can understand that, but still... I've never given him any reason not to trust me, yet he acts like I'm going to get pregnant within the next moon!"

Mousewhisker laughed and Icecloud sent him a hard glare. "What was so funny about that?"

The gray and white warrior heaved his shoulders before responding. "Nothing really. It's just… I have the opposite problem." Icecloud blinked her vibrant blue eyes.

"What do you mean?" Mousewhisker rolled his eyes.

"Lately all Daisy talks about is when me and Hazeltail will get mates." Icecloud's eyes flickered briefly toward Hazeltail, who was just padding into camp with a thrush, and thought about how the she-cat had been spending an awful lot of time with Thornclaw, as of late. _Daisy probably doesn't have much to worry about there. _

"Why?" she asked. Mousewhisker just shrugged again.

"Only StarClan knows. I think she wants us to hurry up and have kits." The gray and white tom shuddered. "Kits are cute and all, but I really don't want them crawling all over me, and having to let them bite my tail. I could hardly stand Toadstep and Rosepetal!"

Icecloud wasn't sure why, but she suddenly broke out into a smile, before erupting into a fit of laughter. She found it hard to not smile around Mousewhisker. The green-eyed tom glared at her a bit before breaking into a grin himself.

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><p>Icecloud smiled politely as Mousewhisker continued his story about the time he had to be Jayfeather's assistant for a whole day, because he'd talked back to Spiderleg. In all honestly Icecloud found the story to be kind of boring, but she didn't let it show. She laughed when Mousewhisker paused, and smiled when he laughed. After awhile she found herself leaning closer to the handsome gray and white tom, so close that their pelts brushed. Icecloud's face heated up at the action, but if Mousewhisker minded then he kept it to himself.<p>

"I can't believe you had to help him for a whole day, just for talking back." The snowy white she-cat scoffed when the story ended. "Isn't that a tad extreme?" Mousewhisker shrugged.

"Spiderleg's always been an extreme kind of cat; at least, when it comes to his apprentices. I kind of feel bad for whoever gets apprenticed to him next. Anyway, I guess he knew what he was doing, because after spending a whole day with Jayfeather I don't think I talked back to Spiderleg ever again." Mousewhisker smiled at her. "Whitewing must have been one of the lucky ones; I never saw you get punished for anything. You were like a mentor's dream apprentice."

Icecloud purred, but when Mousewhisker turned his head around to lick down a tuft of fur, she found herself frowning. What Mousewhisker said was true; she had been a very well behaved apprentice. Whitewing almost never had to get onto her. So... why did that sting?

"You know, Icecloud," Mousewhisker started, snapping her out of her thoughts. "This has been a lot of fun. I don't remember you being this great when we were apprentices."

"Probably because I was youngest apprentice in the den." Icecloud suggested, although she smiled warmly. Mousewhisker laughed and agreed. "And for what's it's worth, I've had a lot of fun with you too. Maybe we could... do this more often?" The gray and white tom seemed to light up at her invention and nodded.

"Of course! Maybe we could go hunting together tomorrow?" He leaned forward, and Icecloud didn't lean back. Their pelts brushed again, and Mousewhisker's forest green eyes bore into her own ice blue eyes.

"I would love t-"

"Icecloud!" A voice shrieked, and Icecloud froze when she recognized the speaker: Dustpelt.

The snowy white she-cat leapt to her paws and turned around to face her father. "I-" But Dustpelt cut her off before she had a chance to defend herself.

"Icecloud what in the name of StarClan do you think you're doing?!" Dustpelt demanded, his fur bristling.

"I was just sharing tongues with Mousewhisker," She explained, flustered. She noticed that by now every cat had stopped to watch what was going on.

Mousewhisker stood up beside Icecloud and nodded. "She's telling the truth." Dustpelt shot the younger warrior such a fierce glare that if looks could kill, Mousewhisker would be dead.

"You stay out of this!" The dusty brown tom snarled, before looking back at his daughter. "That didn't look like you were 'just sharing tongues'. Icecloud what do you think you're doing, flirting with this, this traitor!"

A low growl rumbled deep in Icecloud's throat. "I wasn't flirting!" she protested, starting to feel awkward as all of her clan mates eyes were on her. "And Mousewhisker isn't a traitor! He sided with the clans when the time came."

Dustpelt spat on the ground. "But he trained with the Dark Forest! Icecloud, these cats almost murdered your mother!" The snowy white she-cat had long since felt her blood start to boil.

"But that's not the only reason you don't want to me hang out with Mousewhisker, right?" She questioned. "You don't want me to be friends with any toms at all!"

"Icecloud," Mousewhisker warned, but she shook her head.

"No, no I need to ask this. Why don't you want me hanging out with other toms? Why can't I talk to my own clan mates? Why are you so over-protective?!"

Dustpelt's eyes amber widened and he snarled, "Don't you ever speak to me like that again Icecloud! I am your father and you'll do as I say!"

"What's your problem?!" Icecloud was all but shouting. "Why can't you just stay out of my personal life and _leave me alone_?!"

"Because as soon as I do that I know you'll end up in the nursery with that_ traitor's_ kits!" he shouted, and gestured angerly at Mousewhisker. Mousewhisker blinked, looking offended.

"Me?" he asked.

"Yes!" Dustpelt spat. "So I want you to stay away from my daughter, and to never 'share tongues' with her again! She's too inexperienced to make the right decisions, and too naive then to know better than that you're the picture of trouble, and cannot be trusted!" Icecloud was beyond embarrassed at this point, and Lilypaw's chuckling wasn't helping the matter. Icecloud didn't think it could get any worse.

But if that were true, then this would all be too easy.

"Actually, now that I think about it," Dustpelt turned to face the rest of camp, and Icecloud felt dread build up inside of her, "I don't want to see any toms sharing tongues with Icecloud, or flirting with her, or patrolling with her, or anything else! If I find out that you are then I will personally claw your ears off!"

"Dustpelt, **stop**!" Icecloud screamed, and blinked back the embarrassed tears that welled in her eyes. "You're just making a fool out of yourself!"

Dustpelt spun around and looked incredulously at his only daughter. "What did you just say to me?" He demanded.

"I can handle myself!" Icecloud went on. "I can make my own decisions! I'm not naive, and I'm not inexperienced! I've fought against the other clans, I've fought against the Dark Forest, and I've defended ThunderClan with everything in me! Why are you treating me like some mouse-brained kit?!"

"Because you're acting like a mouse-brained kit!" Dustpelt shouted and shoved his muzzle in her face. The blue-eyed she-cat was about to defend herself yet again, but suddenly it seemed like the entire clan was shouting her name, trying to get her attention.

"Icecloud, just give up!" Spiderleg growled. "You're only making things worse for yourself."

"Don't lose your cool now, Icecloud!" Berrynose encouraged, watching the display with eager green eyes.

"Come on Icecloud, just take a deep breath," Brightheart soothed, coming over to her side.

"It's for the best, Icecloud," Foxleap said, flanking her other side. "You need to get a hold of yourself; you're not thinking clearly."

"I-I can't breathe," Icecloud chocked out, suddenly feeling like a caged animal.

"Everyone, give Icecloud some space!" She heard Bramblestar's voice boom throughout the camp but it seemed like she was the only one, for her clan mates kept closing in on her.

"Icecloud get a grip!"

"Are you okay Icecloud?"

"Do you actually like Mousewhisker, Icecloud?"

Finally Icecloud snapped; she couldn't handle it anymore. "Just leave me alone!" Icecloud screeched at the top of her lungs and spun around before bolting out of camp.

"Icecloud, wait!" Birchfall warned and tried blocking her path. But the blue-eyed she-cat only snarled and shoved past her brother, racing away from camp as fast as she could.

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><p>"Hey, hey are you alright?" A voice asked somewhat impolitely. The voice managed to snap Icecloud out of her nap, and the snowy white she-cat jerked awake before looking around, sleepily.<p>

"Huh," Icecloud asked, in a daze. "Where am I-?"

"You're almost on the ShadowClan border," the voice said gruffly, prompting Icecloud look up. Standing in front of her were three large cats, all reeking of ShadowClan's scent. The cat who spoke, a brown tom with an ugly red scar across his back, narrowed his beady hazel eyes. "Leave it up to ThunderClan to fall asleep in the middle of their territory and wake up, not knowing where they are."

Icecloud felt her fur bristle and opened her mouth, a stinging retort on the tip of her tongue, when someone else beat her to it. "The middle of her territory? Ratscar, you just said she was on the ShadowClan border!"

Icecloud blinked when a _ShadowClan cat_ came to her defense but when she saw said cat, she felt like someone had just knocked the air out of her lungs.

The cat was a rather handsome tom, with jet black fur and a slightly lighter chest. He also had a nicked ear, and the deepest, darkest blue eyes Icecloud had ever seen. They reminded her of midnight, and made her own blue eyes looked brighter then they sky in new-leaf. And while Icecloud was never a small cat, standing in front of this tom made her feel like a newborn kit. _Who is he?_

A hiss slipped between Ratscar's lips and he lashed his tail. "Really Smokefoot? Can you not keep your jaws shut for a minute? I would expect more out of my _former apprentice_!"

_Smokefoot_. Icecloud found herself liking the sound of that. She actually liked it a lot. But… where had she heard that name before? Then realization struck her. Smokefoot was the cat that had almost broken Blossomfall's back in the last ShadowClan battle! She had also heard his name at gatherings, and after almost every battle.

_He's a dangerous cat_, Icecloud mused. _But then again… aren't most ShadowClan cats dangerous_?

"Wait, I know you!" The last cat on the patrol, a smaller pale brown tabby she-cat, exclaimed.

"You do?" Icecloud asked, doubt evident in her tone. She certainly didn't recognize the apprentice. But the tabby she-cat nodded eagerly.

"Yes, you're Icecloud!"

Icecloud stared at the she-cat as if she had just sprouted a second head. "How do you-"

"Wait wait wait, _you're_ Icecloud?" Ratscar demanded, his face breaking into a mocking sneer. "_Dustpelt's daughter_? The one he blew up on, telling every tom to stay away from?! Oh, this is perfect!"

Icecloud's mouth had long since dropped open. "How do you know about that?!" She questioned desperately. _It only happened a couple hours ago! There's no way ShadowClan could know about it already! _

"Icecloud, honey," Smokefoot started, smirking handsomely, "I wouldn't be surprised if every cat this side of the lake knew that story by now. One of your apprentices, Molepaw, tried sneaking into our territory earlier and when a patrol escorted him back to your camp a couple of clan gossips told us _everything_. And considering Crowfrost just sent out patrols to WindClan and RiverClan, I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they know too."

After that enlightening explanation, the three ShadowClan cats started howling with laughter, while Icecloud could only sit back and listen, a mix between flustered and furious. She knew immediately that the "clan gossips" were Blossomfall, Cherrypaw and Berrynose, and she suspected that Lilypaw wasn't innocent either. As for Molepaw... _I hope that apprentice has all of his priorities straightened out before I get to him_, she thought darkly.

She regained her train of thought around the same time the ShadowClan patrol stopped chaffing. "Wow, do ShadowClan really have nothing better to do then spread gossip?" Icecloud said hotly. Her face was flushed and felt like it was on fire.

"Do ThunderClan have nothing better to do then _create_ gossip?" Smokefoot easily retorted, not missing a beat. "You're lucky that it was only gossip this time, bright-eyes. Next thing you know it'll be battle plans."

_Bright-eyes_, the nickname echoed throughout Icecloud's mind. At this point she knew that she should feel offended, but honestly she just… didn't. Smokefoot's playful attitude made it hard for her to do anything but swoon.

Ratscar rolled his eyes. "Alright, come on casanova; let's go before it's _you_ who Dustpelt threatens."

"**Me**?" Smokefoot inquired, sounding somewhat offended. "Are you kidding? I'd sooner drop dead than have _anything_ to do with one of ThunderClan's she-cats!"

Ouch. _Now_ Icecloud could feel offended.

The pale brown tabby she-cat, who Icecloud had heard Ratscar call Grasspaw, giggled. "Good one Smokefoot!" Her voice made Icecloud feel sick.

Smokefoot shrugged. "It's the truth." But as his clan mates slowly turned around and padded away, Smokefoot glanced back and winked at Icecloud. "Try to keep those toms off of you, m'kay Bright-eyes?" And with those parting words, Smokefoot left to catch up with his patrol, leaving Icecloud starring after him, jaws agape and strangely enough, heart pounding.

_ "I wouldn't be surprised if every cat this side of the lake knew that story by now"_, Smokefoot's remark rang clearly in her head. So ThunderClan was already spreading the story, huh? And apparently Icecloud was now the laughing stalk of the clans, aye.

Icecloud exhaled heavily. _What did I ever do to desurve this? _The snowy white warrior couldn't help but wonder. Mousewhisker had been absolutely right when he called Icecloud a mentor's dream apprentice. And she was a perfect warrior; ready to defend her clan even at the cost of her life, but she tried to stay away from the clan's gossip and her friends' foolish ideas. She had stayed behind in camp when Foxleap, Rosepetal, Blossomfall, and Mousewhisker snuck out of camp a couple moons ago to attend the gathering they hadn't been chosen to attend. And she felt so guilty about keeping the secret that she even confessed (anonymously) to Squirrelflight!

Talking back to her father earlier that day was the most rebellious thing she'd ever done_ in her life_, for StarClan's sake!

Icecloud shook her head as she started back to camp. "I need to talk to Rosepetal."

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><p><strong>Am I the only one who completely falls in love with Smokefoot the moment he opens his mouth?<strong>

**Next Chapter**

**Icecloud talks to Rosepetal about running into the ShadowClan patrol, and Rosepetal tells her that maybe it's time she starts proving to Dustpelt that she isn't a kit anymore. **

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><p><span><strong>Review Replies<strong>

**ScipiopB - Icy! Neither can I. I'm really excited for it :) So, was Smokefoot just as charming as you remember him? I introduced him a chapter early.**

**Pokesnail - Really? Then I take it you never got a chance to read the original copy?**

**Meowkitty1912 - Really? Well, isn't that a coincidence :) Except things are going to be a little different this time alone. And thank you!**

**QLKwriter - Actually, it didn't. They both had the same prologue, I just edited it :) But thank you!**

**Spottedmist - I'm really excited for it to! Fingers crossed it'll be just as good as the original!**

**Frostfall37 - Thank you so much :) I'm thrilled you're enjoying it. **

**Heart-Breaking Gandalf - Yes, we all know how they're your babies xD And I hope I portrayed him well. Despite being his only daughter my dad is actually pretty chill, and probably even crazier then I am. But over-protective fathers just seem so dramatic to me that it actually wasn't all that hard to write. Like, as long as I go a little over the top with Dustpelt, I feel pretty confident. And you know me so well - nope, not counting the book that should not be named. And I HATE those things! My friends always try talking me into getting mine done with them, and I have to think of better excuses than "I can't because I those things are evil and I can't write fanfiction with them on".**

**Cupcakesncholecte - Great username, first off ;) Secondly I'm glad that you're okay with the change. I was a little afraid that fans wouldn't want it to change accounts. **

**Mapleshade Returns - S'okay - sometimes I have to force myself to log in too :P Glad you're on board with the story still! **

**Leafpelt of ThunderClan - Good. Dustpelt is supposed to seem VERY over-protective. No one overreacts over regular parents :)**

**Whisker Sage - Interesting username. And here - an update just for you :) **

**Wish Upon a Warrior Cat - Ohmygosh, that was totally my favorite scene to write! I BEGGED Icy to let me be the one to write it. Thankfully she complied :) And "Impossibly Astounding" was by far my favorite chapter. And don't worry - Icy is a brilliant creative consultant. She does her job well!**

**SpiritsongCat - Spiritsong! You're right, it's been much too long! Good to hear from you again, and it's great to know that you still support Rebel :)**

**EmberyskyofShadowClan - Emberysky! My love, I've missed you! ... sorry, that wasn't too awkward, was it? Alright, I'm just going to pretend that didn't happen and move on. I'm glad you're on board with Rebel. I'm also glad you like the quote. I think I'm going to start doing that with all my stories now (minus DS, because I'm already so far into it) and I even made up this one! It sucks, but hopefully gets the point across. And if you love cocky Foxleap so much (but lets be honest - who DOESN'T adore cocky Foxleap?) you should check out "The Challenge" by Jeffrey Dahmer. She's my newest FF bestie, and it's a brilliant read. And I'm thrilled you like Icecloud's character. I'm trying really hard to make her as likable as possible, so that she doesn't come across as bratty when she starts messing with Dustpelt's head. And I love writing Dustpelt's outburst, I DO want to make them justifiable. He has to have a reason for being so over-protective, and after mulling over it some, I thought of the perfect one. Of course you'll find out what that is much later on in the story ;) BTW, you have no idea how hard it is to write "Smokefoot" instead of "Smokemask". It's ridiculous. I'm ashamed of myself.**

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><p><span><strong>Question of the Day<strong>

**What are your thoughts on Smokefoot?**


	4. Chapter 2 - To Rebel, or Not to Rebel

**It's Valentine's Day, Charlie Brown-eer, I mean, KatieKats!**

**Yes, it's Valentine's Day, love is in the air! And to celebrate this lovey dovy holiday, I present you with an update, because I love you KatieKats so very much. Really I do. Each and every one of you are the reason why I keep writing, and never cease to inspire me. Despite the lack of romance in this chapter, I hope you'll still enjoy it. I had wanted to post a different chapter so badly (for those of you who read the original "Rebel", it was the "Impossibly Astounding" chapter) because of all the fluff, but alas, this chapter needed to happen before that. **

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><p><strong>Disclaimer - I, KatieK101, do not own Icy or "Warriors". If I did then Icecloud would not have died in BStorm.<strong>

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><p><strong>"Insecurity is an ugly thing, it makes you hate people you've never even met." - Unknown<strong>

"I just don't understand why they have to treat me so differently now," Icecloud told Rosepetal, feeling much like a broken record. "I'm still the same Icecloud."

"I don't know about that; you are the last cat I would expect to go off on an apprentice." Came Rosepetal's dry response. Icecloud shot the creamy-colored she-cat an aggravated glance.

"Molepaw had it coming," was her reply. "If he would have had enough common sense to _not_ sneak into ShadowClan, then they never would have escorted him back to camp, and never would have overheard that Dustpelt was acting like a fox in a fit."

"Did it not occur to you that maybe I had already handled the situation, and that maybe pushing his warrior ceremony back was punishment enough?" Rosepetal asked, hotly. "I had everything under control and sorted out when you came storming into camp, and _screeched_ at my apprentice for a solid five minutes." Rosepetal waited for Icecloud to defend herself, but when she didn't, Rosepetal glanced at her best friend and saw that she had stopped padding through the forest, and was starring at her paws. Rosepetal instantly felt a wave of guilt wash over her, and a remorseful frown traced her lips. "Sorry Icecloud, I-"

"Don't worry about it," the snowy white she-cat meowed, not looking up from her paws. "You're right, I had no right to yell at him, especially in the middle of camp. StarClan only knows how much I hated it when Dustpelt did it to me. And you're right about how out of character that was for me." Icecloud exhaled loudly. "I never would have done that a moon ago, but Dustpelt already has me so coiled up, and the ShadowClan patrol was the last straw. I-I just needed to take my frustration out on something, and Molepaw seemed like the best option." Icecloud's head jerked up when she felt something curl around her neck, and smiled briefly when she realized it was only Rosepetal's tail.

"It's okay," Rosepetal said softly, returning the tender smile. "You're under a lot of stress. But if it makes you feel any better, cats aren't treating you differently because _you _changed, it's because they're all scared stiff of Dustpelt." Icecloud knew her remark about Dustpelt was meant to lighten the mood, filling the pretty she-cat's head with amusing images of her big, tough clan mates fearful of her father, but instead it had the opposite effect. Icecloud's placid frown returned, and she looked away, glaring at nothing in particular.

"That _doesn't _make things better, because I have absolutely no idea how to deal with that. I mean, what am I supposed to say that will convince Mousewhisker and the other toms that Dustpelt _won't_ shred them for sharing tongues with me?"

Rosepetal's smile became strained and she shrugged her shoulders weakly. "Let it all blow over?" She suggested, meekly.

Icecloud sighed again. "I don't know what else I can do."

"Just give it time." Rosepetal encouraged. "Ferncloud will talk some sense into Dustpelt, everyone will get over their fear of loosing their ears for talking to you - honestly I think they're more shocked then scared."

Her words seemed to sooth Icecloud, who looked back up at her, hopefully. "Do you really think so?" She asked. Rosepetal purred and nodded, and removed her tail from across the snowy white she-cat's shoulders.

"Yep!" She replied, cheerfully. "Just give it time and you'll see that I'm right. Now, I don't know if I'm imagining this or not, but every time you mention that ShadowClan patrol, you get this really strange look on your face. Like, a dreamy sort of look. What's that about?" Icecloud snorted and rolled her light blue orbs.

"You must just be seeing things, because there was absolutely **nothing** dreamy about that encounter."

"Nothing?" Rosepetal prompted.

"Nothing." Icecloud confirmed, but after a second she paused. "Well, actually, there might have been something..."

"I knew it!" Rosepetal exclaimed, bounding over to Icecloud's side. "What was it? Spit it out!"

"Clam down," Icecloud commanded, although her voice held no real authority, and she struggled to mask her playful expression. "It's not anything _that _interesting. There was just this one tom who was really, really attractive. I think his name was Smokefoot, and Rosepetal, I swear on StarClan that he _has_ to be the most handsome tom to ever grace the clans."

Rosepetal's eyebrows shot up. "_Grace the clans_?" She repeated. "He's so good-looking that his presence is considered _gracing_? And he's from _ShadowClan_?"

"I know it sounds stupid, but Rosepetal, you should have seen him. His pelt is jet black and his underbelly and chest is just a few shades lighter, and I swear, he must have the darkest blue eyes _ever._" Icecloud didn't take any notice when Rosepetal stopped padding alongside her, watching in absolute bewilderment as Icecloud swooned on her paws. The dreamy look had returned full-throttle and was blown up on her face for everyone to see. "He was just as cocky as you would expect him to be, and you know that he knows how good he is, but it wasn't deterring. If anything, his arrogance was actually kind of... charming, in a smug sort of way. Oh, yeah, he was charming alright." Icecloud sighed and a soft smile played across her lips, as if the tom were standing right in front of her.

Rosepetal cleared her throat, pulling Icecloud away from her fanciful daydream. "Wow, Icecloud," she said with an amused expression on her face, "if I didn't know any better, I would say that it was love at first sight."

Icecloud blinked. Her mind was still fighting off images of Smokefoot and making her brain a little slow. But when she realized that Rosepetal was referring to her and Smokefoot, Icecloud shook her head. "Love at first sight?" She echoed. "Not a chance. He's still ShadowClan, and everyone knows how stuck up those cats are.I bet he's ten times worse in his camp." Rosepetal shrugged, agreeably.

"True." She said, "Plus, if he's really as attractive as you make him out to be then he probably has a mate."

_A mate_? Icecloud hadn't thought about that. But she supposed Rosepetal was right - what she-cat in their right mind wouldn't want to be mates with Smokefoot? "Probably," Icecloud agreed, although the word seemed to get lodged in her throat. "I mean, if Smokefoot lived in ShadowClan, then there's no way he would be available. Dustpelt definitely wouldn't have to worry about Mousewhisker and me." Icecloud wasn't sure why she was rambling or even what she was rambling about, but she stopped when she caught sight of Rosepetal's expression.

"What?" She asked.

Rosepetal slowly smiled and shook her head. "Nothing, it's just... you."

Icecloud raised an eyebrow. "I don't follow."

"_You_. Going on about this ShadowClan tom who seems too good to be true, saying that if he lived in ThunderClan, Mousewhisker wouldn't be a problem. It's just... you're the last cat I would ever expect to hear all this from. It's kinda rebellious, and you've never been a rebel. You've always been that perfect apprentice, that perfect warrior who never strays away from the straight and narrow." Rosepetal laughed lightly and walked past Icecloud, flicking her with her tail as she padded deeper into the forest. "It's just a little strange is all."

Icecloud smiled politely back at her best friend, but when Rosepetal looked away, a frown replaced it. _Don't we all stray from the straight and narrow sometimes? _

"I'm not perfect, you know." Icecloud called, before catching up with the creamy-colored she-cat.

"I know you're not," said Rosepetal, "but you're not a rebel either." As an afterthought, Rosepetal looked at Icecloud and blinked curiously. "Are you?"

_Am I_? Icecloud didn't know how to answer that. Of course she had never considered herself a rebel, and always tried to be the very best warrior she could be, but if she really wasn't one, then why did she feel like saying 'no' wouldn't be the truth? _Am I a rebel_? Rosepetal was still looking at her, a question in her warm hazel eyes, and Icecloud forced out a purr. "Of course I'm not."

Why did that feel like such a lie?

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><p>"Oh um, actually Icecloud, we kind of have enough cats already… y'know?" Icecloud tried not to growl in annoyance as Molewhisker shuffled his paws, refusing to meet her icy blue gaze. Molewhisker and his sister, Cherryfall, had been made warriors only a couple days ago, and now the cream-and-brown tom was leading his first hunting patrol. Icecloud thought that maybe he was still a little fearful of her for screeching at him a half-moon ago, but the rest of the hunting patrol, Dovewing, Brackenfur, and Spiderleg did nothing to stand up for her. <em>They don't want me to come either. <em>

"Of course!" Icecloud exclaimed, trying to sound upbeat. "I understand. Maybe next time?"

Molewhisker still didn't meet his gaze as he meowed, "Yeah, maybe." The white she-cat was working hard to stiffen that growl.

"Well good luck hunting." Her words came out a little sharper then she meant for them to, but at the moment, Icecloud couldn't care less. She knew very well why Molewhisker and the rest of the patrol didn't want her there; it was the same reason why every tom had been avoiding her the past six days.

What Dustpelt had said about staying away from his only daughter had scared them silly.

"Why don't you go see if Thornclaw wants to patrol, Icecloud?" Spiderleg asked, smirking. "Or maybe Lionblaze and Berrynose? Or, even more fun, _Mousewhisker_?" Icecloud tossed her eldest brother a glare and growled softly, but instead of arguing with him she simply spun around and padded over to the sunningstones. Toadstep and Bumblestripe, who were sunning their bodies on the large, flat rocks, exchanged glances before darting over to the fresh-kill pile, far away from Icecloud. But Icecloud didn't notice, as she was listing all the ways she could murder Spiderleg and not get caught.

But after a couple minutes of these murderous thoughts, Icecloud's anger slowly dimmed. Unlike some families, Icecloud was close to all of her brothers, no matter what litter they came from. That meant they all tried talking to her after Dustpelt's blow up, but Icecloud ignored them. Dustpelt would search them out and demand to know what Icecloud said.

Can't have daddy's little princess talking bad about him now, could we?

Her thoughts now on her brothers, Icecloud began to silently analyze them. They were all in camp (with the exception of Spiderleg, who had finally left with his patrol, thank StarClan), and… and they were all watching Icecloud like a hawk. Icecloud growled quietly to herself but tried to ignore their obvious staring as she busied herself with the task of grooming her snowy white fur.

There was Spiderleg, who was the eldest of Icecloud's brothers. In Icecloud opinion, he was also one of the rudest, abrupt, and bossiest cats in all of ThunderClan, only second to Jayfeather. Icecloud would never understand why Daisy fell in love with him, but she would never blame the creamy she-cat for leaving him.

You then had Birchfall, whom Icecloud thought was the kindest of her brothers. He was a good warrior and even had a family of his own. And unlike Spiderleg, he managed to keep his mate and kits.

Not that Icecloud liked Birchfall more than Spiderleg or anything. Family was family, and no matter what, they were always there for you. They always did what they thought was best for you, and would never leave you.

Dustpelt had told Icecloud that as a kit. Not wanting to think about Dustpelt, Icecloud pushed on with her thoughts.

Lastly was Icecloud's litter mate, Foxleap. Obviously, out of all of her brothers she would be closest to Foxleap, but he was now that one that Icecloud avoided most. Foxleap just didn't understand how Icecloud felt, and the white she-cat realized with a jolt, that she had never thought that. Foxleap _always_ understood her. He was her best friend, her littermate! They'd been together since birth. The thought of drifting apart from him was almost enough to made her cry.

_You're the reason you're drifting away_, a voice in Icecloud's head whispered. _All you have to do is accept Dustpelt's wishes, and everything will be back to normal_.

Wait… no it wouldn't.

The moment Icecloud accepted Dustpelt's wishes was going to be the moment that everything changed.

_So what do I do_? Icecloud wondered. _Do I go against him and avoid my family, or do I listen to him and never have a family of my own_?

That wasn't a question Icecloud was ready to answer.

Instead she tried to distract herself with more analyzing, but she didn't have anyone else to analyze. She didn't want to think about her parents, and she'd ran out of brothers. But... she still had sisters. Hollykit and Larchkit. Icecloud frowned briefly. _Not much I can do there. They're dead. _Not that she had forgotten about them; quite the opposite.

Icecloud actually thought about the sisters she'd never met quite frequently; more so now then ever. She wondered how they would act; would they be blunt and crude like Spiderleg, or kind and always there, like Birchfall? Would Icecloud be as close to them as she was to Foxleap?

Would they know what to say to her when she was upset? Would they want to patrol and gossip with their younger sister? Would Dustpelt be as protective over them as he was over Icecloud?

"Got a lot on your mind?" A voice asked from behind Icecloud, and the white she-cat jumped; it was Ferncloud.

"I guess you could say that," Icecloud agreed slowly. For a minute the blue-eyed she-cat contemplated asking Ferncloud about Hollykit and Larchkit. What did they look like, who did they act the most like? Did they take after Ferncloud, or Dustpelt? And yet, Icecloud couldn't manage to conjure the words up. She didn't want to upset Ferncloud, and talking about your deceased daughters could definitely do that to cat.

Ferncloud gave her daughter a sympathetic smile, and alarms went off in Icecloud's head. Did she already know what Icecloud was thinking about? "I know you're mad right now, but Dustpelt is doing what he thinks is right."

_She thinks I'm thinking about Dustpelt. Best to keep it that way. _"But it isn't right!" Icecloud protested shrilly, sounding very much like a two-moon old kit. It didn't take very much for Icecloud to get into character, and she already felt her blood start to boil. "And it isn't fair either." Ferncloud sighed and sat down on the sunningstone beside her daughter.

"I know it may seem that way Icecloud," her mother tried again, "but just give him time. You're our only daughter; it's only natural that Dustpelt be a little overprotective." I haven't always been your only daughter.

"A little?" Icecloud echoed bitterly. "Six days ago he acted like a fox in a fit, and he then proceeded to tell every single tom in the clan to keep their paws off me. I-It's like he doesn't even know me! It's not like I would do anything irresponsible!"

"It's only a stage Icecloud." The speckled gray she-cat soothed her daughter. "Dustpelt will get over it, given time."

Icecloud snorted in disbelief. "It's a stage that's lasted my entire life. Did you know that right after my apprentice ceremony he told me that I should never go hunting with a tom alone because they would, "sink their claws into me"? I didn't even know what that meant! I thought that meant that the tom would attack me, and so every time a tom would ask me to go hunting, I would lie and say I was sick. Soon Jayfeather banned me from the medicine cat den!"

Judging by the way Ferncloud was taking in deep breaths and closing her eyes, Icecloud assumed no, her mother did not know that.

"I'm not saying that I support Dustpelt's… rules," Ferncloud said finally. "But please Icecloud, until I can convince him otherwise, stop avoiding him and your brothers?"

"But I'm still mad at him!" Icecloud complained. Ferncloud shrugged.

"Then pretend you're not. And every night when you go to sleep, you can think all the mean, nasty thoughts you want to." Icecloud sighed and purred softly; the other clans would sometimes whisper that Ferncloud was softer then a kittypet, but they would never say that to her face.

"Did Dustpelt tell you to come talk to me too?" Icecloud asked quietly.

Ferncloud flicked her tail in a dismissive manner. "You're father has no control over me."

Icecloud's purr grew louder as the speckled gray she-cat delivered a swift lick to her cheek. Then she stood up. "Alright, I promised Daisy I would help her watch Brightheart's kits; they're getting to be more and more of a pawful everyday. And besides, I think someone's waiting to speak to you." As Ferncloud padded away Icecloud blinked and lifted her head, turning around to see Mousewhisker.

Icecloud was surprised to see the gray and white tom; Mousewhisker had made up excuse after excuse to get away from Icecloud, clearly worried by Dustpelt's threats.

"Hey," Mousewhisker meowed softly.

"Hey," Icecloud whispered.

Mousewhisker lowered his green eyes to the ground for a moment, before looking back up to meet Icecloud's own blue gaze. "I-I kind of need to talk to you."

Icecloud was taken back, but couldn't stifle the delight that rose in her chest. "Is this about hunting together?" Icecloud asked. "Because I'm not busy now, if that's what you w-"

"Actually Icecloud," Mousewhisker interrupted, "that's… not exactly what I wanted."

"Oh?" The pretty white she-cat asked, now thoroughly confused. "Then what…"

The green-eyed tom took a deep breath. "I-I don't think that patrol should happen today. Or-or ever, for that matter. Um, I'm sorry but… I just don't feel the same way you feel about me."

At first Icecloud was confused. Mousewhisker, much like his siblings, was a very social cat who never stuttered, never faltered… and then Icecloud processed what Mousewhisker was actually saying. When she did her light blue eyes widened and tears filled them to the brim.

"I-I don't understand…" Icecloud whispered. "Is it because of what Dustpelt said?"

The gray and white tom hesitated, and Icecloud felt like she should have guessed. So much for family.

"Mousewhisker I-"

"Icecloud please don't make this any harder than it has to be!" Mousewhisker begged, cutting the she-cat off.

"A-any harder than it has to be?" Icecloud echoed, stubbornly refusing to let her tears fall. "It doesn't have to happen at all! No one is making you-" And then it clicked.

Turning around slowly, Icecloud saw exactly what she thought she would. Dustpelt was standing behind her, his amber eyes narrowed. Her heart almost stopped when she saw Birchfall sitting beside him, watching her like a hawk.

Yes, so much for family.

Icecloud felt a snarl start to rise in her throat. "How dare you!" She cried, looking Dustpelt straight in the eyes. "How dare you try to control me!"

"Icecloud, Dustpelt didn't make me do anything!" Mousewhisker said hurriedly, trying to reassure her. Icecloud spun around to face him.

"Then you're a bad liar and a coward!" She spat, and Mousewhisker stumbled backwards, as if Icecloud had just clawed him across the face. But she didn't have time to feel remorseful. Dustpelt padded over to her side, looking at her with unmasked disappointment. Like she had done something wrong.

"Icecloud, stop that right now." His voice was brisk, like he was scolding an apprentice. Not warm and fatherly like it used to be. "There's no need for you to make a scene."

"No need?" Icecloud echoed, feeling the blood rush to her ears. "_No need_? All you ever do now is try to control me! Like you think I'm going to make some huge, disgraceful mistake! What did I ever do to make you think that way?"

Dustpelt growled. "You're making a fool out of yourself, Icecloud. I'm not trying to control you to do anything, I'm just trying to advise you. I know you. I've _always_ known you. And I know that you think you're in love with Mousewhisker," Dustpelt gestured at Mousewhisker, who looked like he would rather be anywhere else, "but Icecloud, _you're not. _I don't want you to make a mistake and end up having his kits."

Icecloud didn't know how to react. Was... was that it? Was Dustpelt afraid she was going to have kits? Was that what all this was about?! "You don't know who I love," the snowy white she-cat growled. Her clan mates had formed a sort of circle around the father and daughter, breathing softly in anticipation.

Dustpelt narrowed his eyes. "I never said I knew who you loved. I said I knew who you_ didn't_ love. And I figured it out before you, it would seem."

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Icecloud spat angrily. She felt frustrated tears prick her eyes, but she refused to blink and let them fall. She was sick of crying in front of her clan mates. The blue-eyed she-cat growled and shoved through her clan mates, forcing herself to not bolt out of camp again, but to walk slowly and deliberately towards the warriors den. She was actually surprised when Dustpelt stepped aside and didn't try to stop her, but continued to watch her with narrowed amber eyes. No one tried to block her path or stop her.

She finally allowed her tears to fall after she'd collapsed in her nest and the soft sounds of her clan mates returning to their activities reached her ears. _He thinks I'm going to get pregnant. That's why he's so protective of me? And he said I didn't know who I loved... that's such a lie! If anyone would know who I like, it would be me! _

Icecloud wasn't sure how long she cried, or what Rosepetal and Ferncloud had told her when they came to check on her. She didn't notice Ivypool and Blossomfall stick their heads into the den and look at her with helpless expressions, like they didn't know how they could comfort their friend. Eventually, when Icecloud found she couldn't cry anymore, her thoughts drifted away from the humiliation that clung to her pelt, and back to Hollykit and Larchkit. Was Dustpelt afraid that they would ever gain mates? Was he scared that they would have kits of their own? Icecloud had wondered countless times what thoughts had rushed through Dustpelt's head when he first laid eyes on his kits; on Hollykit and Larchkit.

Were they any different from the first time he laid eyes on a certain small, helpless white she-kit?

Icecloud was willing to be the moon and stars that they were. How could they not be? After loosing his two, precious daughters to green-cough when they weren't even two moons old, how could Dustpelt be capable of feeling anything else but fear the first time he looked at Icecloud?

Icecloud was too close to falling asleep to realize that she was thinking bitterly. That she was unconsciously, unintentionally, making herself hate the sisters she'd never met.

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><p><strong><span>Next Chapter<span>**

**Icecloud goes hunting with a friend and makes it her new mission to hook her up with her crush, and has a "impossibly astounding" gathering ;)**

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><p><strong><span>Review Replies<span>**

Poke is Single and Proud - Pokesnail! You changed your username. I take it it's in honor of Valentine's Day ;)

Birdflame - Did this chapter help Dustpelt in your eyes, now that we know why he's so protective of Icecloud? I'm sure it didn't - most people don't _want _to like him, but I though his reasons needed to be justified.

Amberstorm233 - Yep. No Jessie. I will never consider "Bramblestar's Storm" canon, and since I refuse to read the actual book (I read the detailed description on Warriors Wikia), I doubt I could nail her personality anyways. I could possibly add her in a few cameos for you though? I take it you like her more than Squirrelflight? And what's wrong with Smokefoot's name?

Jeffrey Dahmer - Ugh, don't worry, I'm ashamed right alongside you. Actually, Smokefoot is based off the guy I used to be obsessed with in the seventh grade. We were best friends but the relationship never went anywhere, and now I'm a freshmen in high school, I have math class with him, and I constantly wonder, "why did I like him so much?!" Of course it could very well be because he is still incredibly good-looking... ANYWAY, yeah, I was really proud of myself when I thought of 'Bright-eyes'. At first it was Blue-eyes, but for reasons I cannot recall, we changed it at the last minute. Maybe Bright-eyes was more romantic sounding? I actually think Kaiden (the dude I used to like) called me Bright-eyes one time, because apparently my eyes were really bright that day? I don't actually remember, but maybe that's why? He had another nickname for me that he called me all the time, and while it isn't anything bad (it was actually pretty funny) it's nothing I'm announcing in the review replies. God forbid he also be a secret fanfic addict and read this, and put two and two together. Not that he would ever be addicted to fanfiction. He's addicted to much worse things... ANYWAY (again!) yes, dramatic characters are so much fun to write for! Like Fernpaw, for example ;) When are you going to update that, by the way?

ScarpathTheWarrior - Cool name. That is all I have to say.

xJayxx - Smokefoot is pretty fangirl worthy, isn't he? I always fall for the confident, player kind of guys. And you've heard of me? From who, may I ask :)

Whisker Sage - I thought it was a little goofy, but it's definitely growing on me xD You don't want to know some of the usernames I've had...

QLKwriter - *gasp* You didn't fall totally, completely, madly in love with Smokefoot the minute he opened his mouth?! ... that was supposed to be a joke. I kind of hoped that there would be some people who didn't fall in love with him the first time he was introduced, so that as the story goes on, they can really appreciate how much his relationship with Icecloud has developed. That job has now been appointed to you.

Spottedmist - Aw, thank you!

Lawsong - Honestly, neither do I. But people do crazy things when they feel like those they love are in trouble.

Hawkfeather - Well that was... random?

Scipio Gives Bad Love Advice - Great new username, Icy ;) Frankly, I would be willing to bet that you give **fantastic **love advice, and that you have friends who are love experts (... that was a corny Frozen reference, in case you didn't notice it...). ANYWAY, I'm glad you were happy with Smokefoot. It isn't the same writing him without you adding in your comments.

Cutiecupcake - Lazy! Of course I remember you! How are you? I feel like I haven't seen one of your reviews in forever!

DerpyUnicorns - Yes, you do just gotta love him :)

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><p><strong><span>Question of the Day<span>**

**What is your favorite Warriors SE?**

** #Crookedstar'sPromise**


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